


Brothers in Arms

by Jewboy1580



Category: Sword Art Online (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Drama, F/M, Romance, Suspense
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-14
Updated: 2020-07-14
Packaged: 2021-03-05 03:00:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 18,887
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25267252
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jewboy1580/pseuds/Jewboy1580
Summary: Set at the start of the Aincrad Arc, this original story will follow two brothers, Israel and Jae, as they try to survive in the death game while also attempting to maintain their love and trust in each other. Bonds will be tested as much as bravery, as each slowly finds his own purpose and beliefs- and the will to fight for them.(While canon timelines will be followed, this story will, for the most part, run parallel to them as the brothers go about their own lives and fight for survival)





	1. Chapter 1

1  
November 6, 2022  
Floor 1, Town of Beginnings

In a single instant, the world dissolved into madness.   
Panic, confusion, disbelief, and unbridled terror swept over the vast crowd of over ten thousand people like an unstoppable wave, and within seconds, the tightly packed city Plaza holding them was thrown into abject chaos as people took off in all directions. Some shook their heads and shouted up at the blue sky that they didn’t believe it. Others began frantically searching their menus or desperately shouting the phrase ‘log out’-each time with more and more urgency. A few simply collapsed to their knees and began crying.  
Huge mobs of young men and women, their eyes wide with fright, their nostrils flared, soon broke away from the main crowd and started running in an effort to escape the Plaza, their speed and numbers transforming them into human stampedes. More fell in beside them as raw instinct took over, and before long these charging masses began bowling over and trampling underfoot anyone in their way.   
And in the midst of it all, standing stone still as shock and cold fear paralyzed him in place, Israel could do nothing but stare at the apocalyptic scene unfolding around him.   
He felt as though he were trapped in some bizarre nightmare with no hope of waking up, and the longer he considered the words of the game’s creator echoing in his ears, the harder it became to stave off the icy terror gripping his mind.   
“There is no longer any way to revive someone within the game, nor will there be any respawns. If your HP drops to zero, your avatar will be deleted from the system- forever. And the NerveGear you have on in the real world will simultaneously destroy your brain.”  
They were trapped inside the game, and the moment they suffered even one death….  
Israel’s breathing quickened as panic began to overwhelm him. His heart was pounding so loudly that he was beginning to hear it above the din of screaming, crying, shouting people all around.   
“What do we do?!” Someone shouted close up on his left, her shrill voice cracking in panic. “What do we do? What do we do!”   
As he stared blankly ahead, unable to even turn, Israel saw one of the stampeding mobs crash out of the crowd up ahead and bulldoze over a half dozen people in their way without slowing. They were heading straight for him, but his body refused to move.   
The dense pack of human bodies was closing the distance at an alarming rate, their faces barely even registering him as they ran in a mad panic, oblivious to the rest of the world.  
Israel’s mouth dropped open as he watched them come. They were going to smash right into him.   
A hand suddenly seized his wrist, yanking him hard to the right and shattering his state of paralysis. He glanced over and saw his brother’s face.   
“Move!” Jae shouted in near panic as he yanked him along once again. “Come on!”   
The world came back in a rush all around as Israel suddenly found himself able to think and move again. Without hesitation, he broke into a run behind his brother and out of the path of the unstoppable mob.   
But they were hardly safe.   
All around, the Plaza was a place of pandemonium, with thousands of people fleeing in all directions and countless voices shouting out names of friends or family into the cacophony of noise in an effort to find those that they knew. Everyone, from children sobbing wildly to adults still attempting to log out of the game via their menu screens, was quickly learning to stay clear of the masses attempting to make their way out into one of the four city streets serving as exits from the Plaza and out into the city proper. While no one trampled so far seemed to have lost any health, they still emerged battered, dazed, and in obvious pain.  
“Where are we going?” Israel asked in a near shout in order to be heard above the din.   
“I don’t know!” Jae yelled back without slowing. “Anywhere but here!”   
They kept going, evading and bypassing everyone they could while trying to keep at a running pace.   
Looking around as he ran, Israel spotted one of the four archways leading out of the Plaza. It was close, and fewer people seemed to be headed out that way.  
“There!” he pointed.   
Nodding his understanding, Jae changed direction and picked up speed.   
Staying out of the way of several dozen people making for the same exit, the two of them quickly sped through the rest of the turmoil before making it out of the Plaza and into what appeared to be the governmental section of the starting city; a huge black castle, complete with elaborate pillars and columns, magnificent stone statues along the sides, and a wide marble staircase leading up to the double entrance doors, towered proudly above them, it's dark iron battlements giving the place a benevolent, formidable air.   
Glancing left and right, Israel briefly considered making a dash up the steps before spotting a quiet and relatively empty alleyway nestled in between a line of houses. It was a secluded spot, and right now, he needed a place to hide before his churning panic overcame him again. Jae seemed to have located it as well, for they both darted off at once in the same direction. Neither of them dared slow down or look back until they were safely around the corner and finally out of the open.   
The alley was narrow, worn, and filthy. Grime and rust coated the walls to either side, trash and debris littered the uneven pavement, and the air reeked of manure. Gasping for breath, Israel dropped back against the wall without hesitation, too tired and fearful to care about the filth and stench. His heart hammered against his ribs. Terror induced nausea churned within his gut. His head throbbed painfully, and in the back of his mind, all he could think about were Akihiko Kayaba’s horrifying words:   
“You cannot log yourselves out of Sword Art Online, and no one from the outside will be able to shut off or remove the NerveGear from your head. If anyone in the real world attempts to do so, a hidden transmitter inside the NerveGear will automatically discharge a microwave signal into your skull, destroying your brain, and ending your life.”   
Beads of cold sweat began to trickle down his face as Israel fought back the urge to vomit. The knot in his stomach seemed to be growing larger with every breath he took.  
He didn’t want to believe any of it, but Kayaba had already shown them that it was all true. Utilizing his status as both Dev and GameMaster, he had showed the whole crowd live feeds of news reports going on all around the world. Over two hundred people had already died as a result of family removing the NerveGear from players in spite of Kayaba’s public warnings to the outside media. Now the chances of anyone in the real world interfering were slim, but the proof that such a horrific tragedy had brought forth was impossible to deny or ignore.   
They were going to die.   
Kayaba, the genius developer of Sword Art Online- and the man both he and Jae had praised ever since the first trailer for the game- had just doomed them all.   
They were going to die.   
“Israel…”   
Israel blinked in surprise and quickly wiped the sweat from his face as he met Jae’s worried gaze. He had all but forgotten his brother was standing there with him, watching him.   
I can’t let him see me like this. I have to keep myself together...I have to calm down. If he can handle this, so can I.   
He cleared his throat to ensure his voice stayed level. “What?”   
Jae hesitated, his green eyes betraying his worry.   
“Are you alright?”   
“I’m fine. Just, just tired from all the running. You?”   
Jae nodded immediately. “Yes. Fine.”   
“Good. I-”   
They both turned their gazes out of the alleyway as a half dozen people ran frantically down the paved street ahead. The moment they were out of earshot, Israel kicked off the grime covered wall and began pacing. He cleared his throat again and made sure to sound as calm as possible before speaking.  
“We need...we need to start figuring out what to do until we’re saved.”  
Jae blinked. “Saved? By who?”  
“The government will stop this,” Israel said quickly. “Kayaba showed us proof that the world already knows. They’ll stop the game-”   
“Israel, they can’t. If the NerveGears on our heads get removed-”   
“They’ll shut down the servers then or, or arrest Kayaba and force him to-”   
“You know as well as I do that he’s probably already in hiding.”   
Israel rounded on him. “They’re not just going to sit there and do nothing!”   
“I know that,” Jae conceded softly. He nodded to show that he truly did. “I know. I’m not saying the outside won’t help. I’m just saying it won’t be as quick as you’re thinking. It’ll take time. A few days at least, maybe even a few weeks, before they get us all out of here.”   
Israel paused to consider it. While it terrified him to think that it could truly take that long for them to be saved, he knew Jae was making too much sense. They had to be ready for an extended stay.   
“You’re right,” he acknowledged reluctantly. “You’re right. It could be awhile before they figure out a way to shut this whole thing down without hurting anyone. Which means…”   
He trailed off as the realization of what they needed to do washed suddenly over him. This was an MMO, and in an MMO, there were always steps that had to be taken in order to have any success with a new character. His experiences in past RPGs flooded back into him, further solidifying that fact. If they were going to survive long enough for the outside world to bring them all back from VR, they would need to copy those steps.  
It would be dangerous, but in the end, it was the only thing they could do in order to have the best chance at survival. The very thought terrified him, but he did his best to force the fear back down. He couldn’t allow himself to fall into a panic and freeze up again.   
“We have to do everything we can to stay alive until then,” he quickly finished. He glanced to Jae. “The way I see it, we have to treat this as no different than any other RPG.”   
Jae responded with a dumbfounded look.   
“What? This is nothing like other RPG’s, Israel. This-” he waved an arm around the alley they were hiding in- “this completely changes the game.”   
Ordinarily, Israel knew he would have been tempted to make a flippant remark about the unintentional pun, but under the horrifying circumstances they now found themselves in, it was all he could do to reign in the panic still gnawing at him and continue thinking rationally. There was no amount of inner control, though, that could slow his thundering heart.   
“I know what you’re getting at,” Jae continued in a serious voice, “and I’m telling you right now I think it’s the wrong move. We can’t play this like it’s some other MMO. In those games, dying and respawning is inevitable, and just something that we have to go through before we get strong. We take it for granted. We can’t do that here. If we die, even once, that’s it. It’s over. Even if it turns out Kayaba was lying to us, we still need to assume for now that he wasn’t.”   
“Which is exactly why we need to level up,” Israel argued. “We need to gain Experience, as much and as quickly as possible. You really think we’ll survive at Level One with no gear and a rusty fucking sword?”   
“All the towns and cities in this game are still safe zones.” Jae pointed back the way they had come. “We saw proof of that back at the Plaza. Dozens of people got trampled in there, should have died, but they got back up with full health. This game is real, but the elements within it are still as they were before Kayaba summoned us all and gave his little reveal. As long as we stay in the Town of Beginnings, we’ll be safe. As for EXP, there’s bound to be dozens of beginner level quests right here in the city-”   
“You know those won’t provide anywhere near the rewards we could get if we go outside-”   
“But at least we’ll be safe-”   
“We don’t know that!”  
Israel paused to take a breath before continuing in a softer tone.   
“You’ve played just as many MMORPG’s as me. Think about it. How often have we seen safe zones get turned into temporary event locations or Boss battle sites at random in those games? There could be high level quests set on timers, just waiting to pop up at any time. There could be some overarching narrative or main story that, when reached, triggers a battle or an invasion or something. Anything could happen, and we would have no warning. Worse, if something like that were to occur and we were stuck here without high enough levels or gear to defend ourselves, we would have no chance.”   
Jae was quiet for a long moment. “You can’t say for certain something like that will happen.”   
“And you can’t say for certain it won’t.” With a sigh, Israel rested a hand atop the pommel of the crude starting sword sheathed at his belt. “At the end of the day, we don’t know enough about this world to make assumptions. No one does. Not even the beta-testers. We need to expect the worst. Leveling up and getting strong as quickly as possible is the only way to guarantee our safety.”   
Quiet again, Jae ran his fingers through his short cropped hair- a telltale sign of uncertainty that Israel knew immediately   
“We don’t know what kind of mobs are out there,” he argued quietly. “We don’t know what powers or abilities anything has, where to go and where not to. For Christ’s sake, we don’t even know how to fight in this game yet.”   
Israel nodded. “Which is why we need to learn, and fast. We were probably some of the last people to log in before Kayaba locked everything down, which means most everyone else has already had a few hours to start figuring out the mechanics of the game. We need to catch up if we want to live. If we drag behind people who already know what they’re doing, like the beta-testers, it could mean the difference between life and death. Remember what we read about the rare and legendary items in the beta reviews for this game?”   
Jae dipped his head. “Legendary items will be very difficult to obtain via drops or loot chests- there’s only ten copies of each one in all of Aincrad. Rares have fifty of each, but are less powerful.”   
“Exactly. With high quality items that difficult to obtain, it can only mean they’re incredibly effective. If we can get our hands on a rare, or even a legendary, I’m willing to bet our survival chances will go up far higher than any number of beginner safe zone quests could get us. The beta-testers most likely know that too, and are already out there looking for specific items. We need to get at least one for ourselves before others take them all. This is the starting Floor of the game, so there probably aren’t a lot.  
“On top of that,” he added, “while searching for rare items we’ll also be obtaining Col and probably EXP on the side. You know as well as I do that beginner quests never give as much cash and experience as farming. Not even close.”   
Jae crossed his arms. “And how exactly do you plan on farming and item hunting when we don’t know how to defend ourselves?”   
“We’ll take it slow,” Israel assured him. “We’ll start easy with the Level One monsters just outside the city, figure out how to fight properly, and even after that only engage in combat when we know for certain we’ll come out on top. We can also use the Experience we gain cautiously at first. Obviously there’s things different here than in other games, but as with any other RPG, we know that when we level up, we get attribute points. In our other games, we always go for added damage and offensive power. Here we just need to change our style a little. We need to take it slower and put a majority of our focus, at least early game, into defense and more HP.”  
Jae was quiet a moment as he thought it over, but he still didn’t look entirely convinced. Finally, he spoke.   
“I understand what you’re saying, and it makes sense, but we need to remember that leveling up in any RPG takes time, and the gains from each level start small at first. Attribute points won’t make a difference if we die before we get enough of them to actually be noteworthy.”   
Israel let out a slow breath. “So what are you saying? That we should stay here in the Town of Beginnings and hide? That we shouldn’t try to level up?”   
“No. You were right before- we have no way of knowing that the city will stay safe forever. MMO’s are unpredictable, and we need to be prepared for anything. But trying to be too aggressive too quickly is sure to get us killed. So let’s compromise: I say we stay here and do a standard quest or two until we hit our next level, and then that will give us the buffer we need to actually go out and start grinding efficiently, without fear of getting caught off guard by abilities we weren’t expecting. Fair?”   
Israel hesitated. He still believed trying to get a step ahead of the other players was the best thing to do, but he couldn’t deny Jae’s logic in getting at least a little more durable before heading out into the unknown.   
He nodded. “Alright. Fair. Do you know where any quick beginner quests might be?”   
“No,” Jae admitted, “but this city is huge. I’m sure if we just make our way to the front gate by following the main streets, we’ll find a few along the way. My EXP bar says we only need two hundred Experience before our first level up. By the time we reach the exit out into the rest of Floor One, we should be ready to head out. Keep an eye on your minimap in case of icons.”   
“Right. Lead the way.”   
They stepped out of the alleyway, cautiously at first, and looked around as the shadow of the huge black castle fell over them once more. Once they were sure they wouldn’t be met with a stampede, they hurried on their way and soon left both the alley and the dark castle behind.  
It was calmer now, with less noise and far fewer screaming, fleeing people, which allowed Israel to actually hear and pay attention to the natural sounds of the city for the first time. Dogs barked from open windows, NPC children laughed and played and ran throughout the streets as their parents yelled for them to come back inside, and in the distance, hammers could be heard striking forges and pounding down on buildings in the midst of construction.   
Here and there as they progressed along the paved street deeper into the heart of the town, Israel caught sight of a few individual players still running in a mad panic or huddled down by the roadside in tears. They stood out in stark contrast to the NPCs walking along the main road, who walked casually and chatted pleasantly with one another as they went about their business. Israel noticed quickly, however, that each time the city inhabitants passed by the distressed players, they would briefly pause and gaze in confusion or worry at them. The larger groups of NPCs even took to speaking in low, hushed voices as they made way for one particularly terrified player on the run.   
It didn’t take long for Israel and Jae to get lost as they attempted to make their way to the front gates. The city was vast, dense, and sprawling, and the veritable labyrinth of branching roads, side streets, and buildings of all shapes and sizes didn’t help. Everywhere they looked, there were houses, smithies, warehouses, shops, inns, several banks that looked to all belong to the same company, and even a strange church of some sort with a white statue of a female angel hoisted atop it’s peak.   
If not for their minimaps, which hovered conveniently in the upper right corner of their vision and gave a bird’s eye view of the immediate area in map form, Israel suspected they would have wound up circling all the way back to the Central Plaza.  
At every corner, merchants plied their wares within self made stalls, barking out prices and deals each time they caught someone’s eye. Whenever these men spotted Israel and Jae, they would immediately begin putting forward reduced prices on minor health crystals, uncommon armor pieces and other such things. Had they more than a mere ten Col to start the game with, Israel would have considered approaching.   
As they drew ever closer to the outer portions of the starting city, it didn’t take long at all for Israel and Jae to reach Level Two: beginner quests, it turned out, were everywhere, and though each offered precious little in terms of Col- and nothing at all when it came to items and gear- they were all short, simple, and relatively generous in EXP rewards when one considered how quick it was to complete them.   
After finding and quickly finishing up only two quests, one of which was a mere item gathering mission within the poorer section of the city, both Israel and Jae had reached the EXP cap of two hundred and promptly received a message notification in the bottom left of their field of vision. With a finger, Israel selected it. 

Congratulations!   
You have reached Level 2!   
You have unlocked 2 Attribute Points!   
To assign Attribute Points, go to your Character Status page. Choose carefully, for your decisions cannot be undone. 

“Good,” Jae said with a nod beside him. “Now we just need to decide what to put the points in.”  
With a finger, Israel made a quick, vertical swipe in front of himself as he and Jae had learned in the short tutorial upon first entering the game. When nothing happened, he cursed silently and repeated the motion, but this time with a smoother, more deliberate swipe.   
Immediately, a digital blue screen materialized before him. As he read it, he made a mental note to get better at that as soon as possible. If he ever needed to get into his menu in the midst of a dangerous moment and failed like that, it could mean the difference between life and death.

Main Menu

Character*

Map 

Social 

Settings 

“If there aren’t any defensive options or armor ratings we can choose to increase,” Israel said as he selected the Character icon, “we can just dump both points into health. It’ll probably be better in the long term anyway.” 

Character 

Character Status*

Skill List

Inventory 

Selecting the status page, Israel took a moment to carefully examine his stats before making any decisions. If they were truly about to head out of the safety of the Town of Beginnings, they would need to know as much as possible about their own capabilities. Their very lives were now depending on it. 

Character Status*

*2 Attribute Points Available!  
Attribute Points may be distributed into any Stat marked with an (+) icon. 

Israel

Level: 2  
Health: 250   
Stamina: 100  
Damage: 9-12  
Armor Rating: 7  
Hold Capacity: 13.4lb/70lb

Strength: 10 +   
Dexterity: 10 +  
Constitution: 10 +  
Endurance: 10 +  
Luck: 10 +

Skills: 0  
Sword Skills: 0  
Active Skills: 0   
Passive Skills: 0 

Physical Resistance: 0%  
Fire Resistance: 0%  
Earth Resistance: 0%   
Air Resistance: 0%   
Holy Resistance: 0%   
Dark Resistance: 0%

Passive Abilities: 0 

“Put both points in Constitution,” Jae said as he swiped away his own blue screen. “Each point raises max health by twenty.”   
“Already done.”   
Closing his menu, Israel glanced around. From their position in the outer sections, it was easy to see the tall stone wall tower above the buildings as it enclosed the perimeter of the city in the distance. Following it with his eyes, Israel soon spotted the gatehouse.   
It was time to see what was out there.   
“Ready?” he asked.   
Jae nodded reluctantly. “Let’s go.”   
Following their minimaps, they took the shortest route to the main gate and started off. They were silent as they walked, and with each step, Israel felt his stomach tighten. Beads of sweat again began to form on his face and neck, but he ignored them and made an effort to keep an even pace with Jae. His mouth had gone dry, and the cold fear he felt within him continued to worsen, silently urging him to turn back and hide within the safety of the Town of Beginnings, but he refused to fall to panic again. If they were going to survive, they had to act.   
If Jae could handle the new reality they had just been thrust into, so could he.   
They saw fewer and fewer players as they closed the distance to the main gate. The buildings here were smaller, less concentrated, and even the NPCs seemed more scarce. The stone wall now loomed high overhead, and atop the battlements, Israel could see NPC guards in white armor gazing out over the other side.   
Upon arriving at the open gate, which consisted of two huge wooden double doors framed with steel, both Israel and Jae paused to look outside. To their surprise, the area beyond the safe zone looked anything but threatening; green, rolling fields stretched across the horizon, with the occasional steep hill breaking up the plain and a few trees to dot the lush landscape.   
Hundreds of stocky wild boars calmly roamed the terrain, horned snouts to the ground as they fed on flowers and tall grass. It was only in the distance, out beyond the furthest extent of the greenery, that Israel could make out a slightly harsher forest environment.   
Throughout the rolling grassland, he could see scattered players- probably around a hundred at most- approaching or battling the wild boars, their beginner swords flashing as they cut down the beasts. Most fought in groups ranging from mere two man teams to parties of half a dozen or more, but there were also a few who fought alone, and who seemed to be rotating the area methodically.   
“Looks safe enough out here.” Israel drew his rusty sword- which was heavier than he had expected- and started forward. “Come on. We might have already missed out on some early game loot.”   
“First we need to learn how to fight,” Jae reminded as he followed behind. “Let’s start small, see how we do against one of these boars.”   
With weapons ready, they advanced cautiously forward, inching further and further into the grassland while occasionally checking behind to make sure that the Town of Beginnings was still within view. The walls of the city loomed behind them now, like a clear borderline between safety and mortal danger.   
Biting back his worry, Israel kept a firm grip on his beginner sword and stayed beside Jae. The rusty level one common weapon hardly inspired confidence, but it did feel good to have something with which to defend himself.  
As they moved up, they scanned the area for any boars that weren’t part of a larger pack, which took a little longer than expected: several players operating alone seemed to have had the same idea, and deliberately targeted any isolated boar they could find.   
After finally closing in on a lone one roaming at the base of a small hill and identifying it as Level One, both Israel and Jae paused and looked to each other.   
“Attack it together?” Jae suggested.   
Israel nodded. “We’ll move in and-”   
With a snort, the boar raised it’s head and locked eyes with them. For the briefest of instants, no one moved.   
And then the boar let out an enraged squeal and launched itself directly at them.   
“Shit!” Israel cried in alarm. “It targeted us!”   
“Move!”   
Without a second thought, Israel dived out of the way of the incoming creature while, simultaneously, Jae tried to jump in the other direction.   
The boar’s tusks whizzed past Israel’s side at the last second, barely missing him, but Jae wasn’t so lucky. One of the animal’s tusks gored deep into his leg, knocking him off his feet as he let out a scream of pain.   
The large boar, now maddened by the blood, hit the ground with him, but was immediately back on it’s hooves a second later and proceeded to shake violently in an attempt to rip it’s tusk free.   
Jae’s cries of pain quickly escalated to new heights, and, at the same time, his health bar began to plummet.   
Jumping back up, Israel didn’t hesitate and immediately charged the monster before it could hurt his brother any worse. Clutching his beginner sword awkwardly in both hands, he raised the weapon over his head and brought it down hard, slashing open a long, deep gash across the length of the boar’s furry back.   
With a squeal, the injured animal lashed itself around to face the new threat and managed to tear its tusk free of Jae’s leg in the process, spilling crimson droplets of blood out into the air. Before Israel could strike it again, it slammed into him full force, lifted him clear off his feet, and launched him a good foot into the air.   
It felt like he had just been hit by a train.   
Stars exploded in his vision as he crashed back down to the ground, his back and head slamming into the dirt at odd angles. The world went hazy for a brief second, and then the pain caught up with him as he dimly noticed his health bar in the corner of his sight turn yellow.   
Before he could open his mouth to cry out, the boar was on him again, it’s heavy hooves stepping down on his side and abdomen as it tried to drive it’s tusks down to impale him. Just before it could, he managed to grab hold of his sword and raise it desperately above himself, blocking the animal’s attack and locking it’s tusks in place. The worn steel shuddered against the impact, but held firm.  
Unperturbed, the boar simply pushed it’s head down harder, utilizing both gravity and its heavier weight to slowly bring it’s sharpened tusks down. It’s mouth foamed, it’s eyes had gone bloodshot red, and it’s reeking breath began to hit Israel’s face in waves as man and beast silently struggled.   
Gasping madly for breath, Israel pushed back with all his strength, his hands going white around the hilt of his sword. Try as he might, though, it was clear to see that it was a losing battle. The boar’s tusks were mere inches away from his chest now, and with each passing second, it got steadily closer.   
With a cry of rage, Jae suddenly appeared on Israel’s left, staggering forward on his good leg as he lunged with his sword. Before the boar could make a move to retaliate, Jae buried the weapon up to the hilt into it’s exposed side.   
With a horrific, high pitched squeal, the boar lurched sideways off of Israel- with Jae’s sword still buried inside it- before staggering back and refacing to strike again.   
Stumbling to his feet, Israel barely managed to lift his sword before the beast hurled itself forward again in a mad bout of bloodlust.   
Taking on a defensive stance, Israel lowered his sword to block the attack, only to realize too late that he had failed to time it right. At the last second, he and Jae darted to the side, but the boar’s tusks, slashing from side to side, still managed to tear his pants and rip open painful gashes across his legs.   
Pain lanced up his body in waves of hot agony, but Israel knew he couldn’t afford to get distracted. Glancing in fear at both his and Jae’s frighteningly low health bars, he realized that if either of them got hit head on by the boar again, they would die.   
Again the boar advanced, blood trailing from it’s foaming mouth as it charged violently forward, but this time, Israel counter attacked. Swinging his sword as fast as his tired arms would allow, he aimed the slash directly at the monster’s head.   
Just before his hit could connect, the boar halted it’s charge and staggered to the side, barely evading the attack.   
Taking advantage of the brief halt, Jae limped quickly forward and grabbed the hilt of his sword in an attempt to wrench it free. The boar spun around in a rage, knocking him back, but before it could attack him, Israel again swung, this time severing one of it’s tusks and slashing open its snout.   
Squealing repeatedly, the boar shook its ruined face and tossed its head back and forth as blood spilled out into the grass. Israel closed in for the kill, only to miss his swing as the boar spun and instead slash at the open air. The animal then jerked abruptly, crashing into him before he could recover and knocking both them, and the sword, to the ground.   
With a hard kick to the injured snout, Israel forced some space between him and the writhing monster, while in his peripheral vision, he saw Jae grab his sword and stagger forward.   
“Kill it!” Israel screamed as the boar attempted to gore him from the ground.   
“Get back!” Jae cried.   
Pushing himself backwards on his hands and knees, Israel again kicked the beast when it attempted to rush at him. He kicked a third time, even harder, in order to stun it, and before the boar could get to it’s feet or launch another attack, Jae swung the sword and lopped its head off clean at the neck.   
A geyser of blood and gore spurted out from the gaping wound, but before any of it could stain Israel’s torn beginner clothing, the dead boar shattered apart into a thousand pixelated shards. Jae’s sword, which had remained buried up to the hilt in the monster’s body, clattered to the ground, its rusty blade now clean of blood.  
Hissing in pain, Jae dropped to a knee and leaned on Israel’s sword for support as blood continued to seep through his pant leg. Opposite him, Israel didn’t bother trying to get up and simply held his throbbing head in his hands as he struggled to fully regain his breath. A moment later, he vomited.  
As they sat there, both silent and in pain, Israel caught sight of both of their health bars: his was at one hundred and three, while Jae’s was now at eighty-nine.   
And both of them had started out at nearly three hundred HP thanks to their level up.   
A fresh wave of fear washed over Israel, and it was all he could to keep from breaking down.   
If we can barely survive against the weakest enemy on the easiest Floor in the game, how the hell are we supposed to stay alive until the end?


	2. Chapter 2

2  
November 9, 2022,   
Floor 1, Western Fields

Letting out one final cry, Jae crouched as he lunged forward, his hatchet aimed for the weak point in the monster’s armor. At the same time, he could hear Israel’s sword whistle through the air above him as he went for an overhead hack.   
The monster, a level four goat-man mini boss, desperately swung its spiked cudgel in an effort to ward off their combined attacks, but it was too late. Israel lunged forward first, driving a food of his blade into the monster’s chest. At the same moment, Jae buried his axe into the beast’s fur covered neck. He felt bone and muscle give way as bright colored blood splattered outward, while above it’s head, the goat-man’s health bar dropped to zero.   
Though both were eager to see what the mini boss may have dropped, they instead ignored the on-death explosion of pixelated shards and took up defensive stances as they scanned the area for any more monsters. They had learned the hard way just that morning that random mob respawns would be one of their biggest threats if they weren’t careful, and had quickly taken to constantly checking behind and around them as a precaution.  
After confirming that the area was safe for the moment, they sheathed their weapons and Israel opened his inventory. Though his heart was still hammering within his chest, Jae did his best to appear nonchalant as he turned away to open his own; he didn’t want Israel to see his trembling hands.   
“I hit Level Five,” Israel said excitedly behind him. “I got a free HP boost for this one, must be a milestone bonus. I think I can afford to put my attribute points into Strength this time around. I need the damage, and neither of us went into the yellow the whole...”  
Israel words seemed to fade away in the air as Jae stared at his shaking hands, forcing himself to concentrate on calming down.   
The fight is over, he reminded himself. It’s over, and we won. We’re still here. We’re still fine. No reason to be afraid. No reason-  
“Jae?”   
With a blink, Jae returned his attention to Israel, who was now standing in front of him.   
“What?”   
“I asked if you think it’s a good idea to put my new points in Strength for extra damage. We’re tanking hits pretty decently now, and it’s important that we stay well rounded.”   
Jae ran his fingers through his hair as he tried to forget his anxiety and focus on the question.   
“Yeah, makes sense to me. Go ahead.”   
Israel hesitated. “Something on your mind?.”   
Jae sighed off handedly and gestured at his open menu-the first thing he caught sight of that he could use to turn the conversation- inviting Israel to take a look.   
“You got a spear,” Israel observed as he leaned in.   
“Mhm. I was hoping for a sword.” With a finger, Jae selected the weapon in order to give them both a closer look at it’s stats. “I have no idea what abilities spears have in this game.”   
Israel squinted to read the weapon’s description on Jae’s inventory screen, and Jae took the moment of quiet to do the same. The shaft of the weapon was seven feet in length and made of strong ash wood. The blade itself was a foot in length and made of plain bronze. It was a Level Three weapon, easily dealing twice the damage the beginner swords had.  
Israel shrugged before raising an eyebrow at Jae. “At least you got a new weapon. Again. You just got that hatchet this morning, and now this. I still haven’t gotten anything. With my luck, I may as well stop hoping for a drop and just go buy one in town.”   
Jae shook his head as he wiped his brow. “That wouldn’t be worth it. We had to grind all day yesterday just to afford one health crystal for each of us. We’ve been doing a little better today, true, but after we pay for gear repairs and another night’s rent at the church...”   
He paused, going over the math once more before shaking his head in annoyance. “In any other RPG, it’s easy to get rich and stock up on cash, but here everything is so expensive. And that’s with the two of us sharing what we have! I can only imagine how hard it must be for all the players that are out there on their own.”   
Israel nodded thoughtfully, pushing his long blonde hair out of his face.  
“When we went back to the Town of Beginnings last night, a lot of players looked like they hadn’t even gone outside yet. I think...I want to help them somehow...convince them that they need to start leveling up if they’re going to have a chance.”   
“I’m sure they already know that,” Jae assured him. “Kayaba made that much clear back in the plaza. People are afraid, that’s all. They just haven’t come to grips with things yet. Give it a few more days, and I believe the player base will start to see that they need to follow in the beta-testers’ footsteps.”   
Israel nodded but said nothing, his mind apparently on other thoughts. After a moment, he turned away and gazed out across the open Floor before them. From high above, the clouds shifted, allowing the now unobstructed sun to bask the hilltop in a warm afternoon glow.  
Though it had been three days since the start of Sword Art Online and it’s world called Aincrad, Jae still couldn’t help but be amazed at just how real that sun felt. At least, that was until he reminded himself that this was a death game, and that he was trapped inside it with no means of escape.  
After their nearly disastrous combat experience with the boar on that first day- followed by several hours of recuperation back within the safety of the Town of Beginnings in order to regain their nerve- they had decided that they had to keep trying; it was the only way they could learn how to fight, and thus survive. After reflecting on everything from that first fight, they slowly came up with a new plan.  
Having discovered the hard way the extent of enemy mob aggro range, they first began improving their methods by sneaking up on isolated, usually weaker boars from behind in order to close the distance and mitigate a charge. Once within fighting range, they both attacked, gaining two free hits on the beasts and thus greatly increasing their odds of success.   
After repeating this process several dozen times, they began to grow accustomed to the boars’ attack patterns, and, even more importantly, their own capabilities. It became clear to both of them during this time that unlike most games where abilities, skill moves, and brute damage output reigned supreme, here, precise timing and reaction time were paramount to achieving success in combat, much like in real life. This realization, coupled with the vital experience that they so desperately needed, soon helped them grow more confident as their skills improved and the first day came to an end.   
That first night, however, proved equally as difficult.   
Upon returning to the Town of Beginnings tired, hungry, and eager to find a place to sleep, Jae and Israel soon found that during the course of their time outside learning to fight, most of the ten thousand players crammed within had wasted no time in renting out practically every cheap bed and available room in the taverns and inns scattered throughout the city. By the time the moon was up, the only places left with open rooms for the night were far too expensive for Jae and Israel to afford.   
Their meager yield of Col dropped from the fallen boars, which they had thought sizeable not an hour before, now seemed to barely amount to anything.   
Soon realizing that they had nowhere to sleep, they instead considered what they could afford: food. If they had to spend the night on the streets, Israel had said, it might help to at least do so with full stomachs. Although at first tempted to agree, Jae soon shook his head after thinking it over.   
“Even if we spent everything we had on food and ate to our heart’s content,” he said, “we would still be famished again come morning and stay that way all day. I think we should just sleep it off and save what we have for breakfast. Then we’ll have more energy to keep at it with those boars until we get stronger.”   
Though reluctant, Israel eventually acknowledged his point, and as the city went dark and eery silence settled over the maze of streets and buildings, the two of them began a quick search for a quiet, secluded place to bed down for the night. As they moved through the darkness, they soon caught sight of other unfortunate players already occupying various street corners or hunched over in secluded alleyways here and there. Thankfully, there weren't many of them, meaning that not all of the better spots would be taken, but there were enough to make the process of finding an unused area more time consuming.   
A chill set in then, bringing with it rain. The downpour was light at first, but as the minutes dragged by, it grew more and more heavy. Deep puddles formed along the main roads, dirt turned to ankle deep mud, and by the time Jae and Israel managed to take shelter beneath a small overhang above the bolted door to a carpenter’s shop, they were both soaked to the bone and shivering against the cold.   
As they hunkered down, both trying to stretch out as much as they could without exposing themselves to the deluge, rainwater soon began to drip from between the worn wooden boards of the overhang above. Unable to escape, they bitterly resigned themselves to the wet and simply curled up as best they could- which wasn’t easy considering the mud and wood shavings they were lying on.   
Israel eventually fell asleep first, his hands acting as pillows beneath his head, his long blonde hair wet, dirty, and scattered across his face. His soaked beginner outfit, consisting of a simple cloth shirt, pants, and vest that were all torn, clung to him. He shivered as he slept.   
Jae knew he didn’t look any better, and he felt worse.   
As he laid there that first night, cold, wet, hungry, and completely miserable, he opened his menu, went to the settings screen, and stared at it for a long time. Praying in hopeless desperation, he finally pressed the blank space where the logout button should have been.   
Nothing happened.   
After what felt like an eternity of wallowing in self pity, Jae eventually closed his menu and managed to drift off into a shivering sleep.  
The next morning, they awoke to find that all of their hard won Col was gone.   
They spent the second day grinding almost nonstop, only taking breaks long enough to eat and rest their weary arms. They fought with bitter resolve, determined to recoup what had been stolen from them. Now more confident in their swordsmanship and with an added level or two under their belt, they soon started traveling further afield, beyond the Level One outskirts inhabited only by boars.   
Throughout the day, neither of them suggested what Jae knew they were both thinking: that another player had gone into their menus while they slept, and stolen every piece of Col between them. Instead, they both agreed that an NPC must have done it. NPC thieves and rogues existed in every MMO game after all, usually always deliberately for the players, and it was certainly believable that Kayaba would do such a thing to make their lives just a little bit harder.   
And yet, the thought that it might have been a player didn’t fade in Jae’s mind, and before the day was done, both of them agreed that no matter what it took, they would never sleep out in the street again.  
That evening, they made sure to return to the Town of Beginnings well before dark in order to get their hands on a room at one of the taverns. In spite of their efforts, however, all the inns that they could afford were once again full: there were simply too many players living in the starting city, and Jae and Israel had lost too much and were now a day behind most of the other players in terms of Col. In spite of their hard work killing mobs all day, they still had to pay for food, for drink, for constant repairs to their gear. There was too much to pay for, and not enough to pay for it. They needed more money if they wanted to have a wider pool of rooms to secure for themselves.   
Much more.   
As the sun went down and darkness again descended on the Town of Beginnings, Jae and Israel briefly reached a low point. It seemed they would once again have to huddle in muck and sleep out in the street, where anyone could walk up and rob them while they slept.  
For just a few moments, Jae began to think about breaking into one of the NPC houses. Anyone living inside would no doubt resist, and in the scuffle the city guards would probably end up getting involved, but just then, he was close to no longer caring. If this was how they were doomed to live, why not start taking matters into their own hands?   
Jae wondered what Israel would say.  
Then, when all seemed lost and even Israel looked ready to give up, Jae spotted players gathering near a familiar looking church. Players they had seen on the street among them the night before.   
Thus they found Alara’s Holy Sanctuary: a monastery dedicated to an angel or archangel of some sort, in which the monks and priestesses offered shelter for all those in need of it- in exchange for a small tithe to the church, of course.   
Pooling their meager coins, Jae and Israel were just able to afford entry.  
The sanctuary itself was small, bland, and unassuming. It consisted of a pray area, an indoor garden with an altar to Alara, and a featureless community room in which all those needing shelter were housed. The conditions were cramped, uncomfortable, and anything but private as Jae and Israel struggled to sleep amidst several dozen other players and NPCs all vying for more room, but, at the very least, there was a roof over their heads.   
The next morning, the senior monk informed everyone that they were allowed to come back as many nights as they needed, so long as they could pay the tithe.   
It seemed, for now at least, that they had found a temporary place to sleep.   
Jae blinked as his thoughts on the past few days faded, his attention returning to the hilltop on which they now stood. Looking up at the sun, he guessed by it’s location that it was drawing close to late afternoon. In a few hours, they would need to head back in order to get a spot in the community room. He dropped his gaze back to Israel, who still stood silently by the overlook.  
With the fear and anxiety he had felt during the fight now mostly gone for the time being, Jae was able to recognize the distantly troubled look in his brother’s cobalt blue eyes, as well as in his demeanor. It was a look he knew well, and one which he knew from experience would quickly pass, yet it was surprising to see how worried Israel suddenly was about the other players.  
Jae worried too, but up until now, he hadn't spent much time considering anything else beyond the two of them; they simply couldn’t afford to. It was of paramount importance, after all, that they never lose focus or grow distracted. If they made even one mistake...  
Slowly, very slowly, Jae raised a finger to his menu and selected the Settings option. When the screen opened, his eyes went straight to the blank space where the Logout button should have been. He stared at it a moment, unsure why he was even bothering, unsure why he continued to do this. Yet he couldn’t help it. He had to try. He had to get back home. He wanted so badly to be safe again.  
Before going any further, he glanced over the open menu to be sure Israel wasn’t looking. Then, for what felt like the hundredth time, he tried selecting the blank option in a quiet bid of desperation.   
Nothing happened.   
Though he had known full well it wouldn’t work, he still couldn’t help but feel like he had just taken a heavy blow.   
They were still no closer to getting out. They were still no closer to being saved by the outside world.   
Closing his menu, Jae allowed his bitterness and anxiety to sweep through him again as he strode up beside Israel and gazed out over the slope.  
From their position atop the hill overlooking the outskirts of the fields around the Town of Beginnings, he could see a good portion of the surrounding area, as well as the walls and rooftops of the city itself in the distance. It was difficult to believe they had come so far, especially when one considered how terrified they had been to simply leave the shadow of the stone walls but a couple of days past, and yet, from what he could now see of the wide world around them, he had a difficult time being impressed with their progress.  
Beyond the rolling, boar inhabited grasslands that made up the outskirts of the starting city, Jae could see wild, dense forests, fast flowing rivers, steep, rugged hills, and even a small chain of mountains far off amidst the low hanging clouds. Dirt roads ran here and there, most likely linking the Town of Beginnings with other villages and towns far away that they had yet to even discover. Miles of woods, plowed fields, lakes, and even a secluded valley or two filled the region as far as the eye could see, offering at once both a breathtakingly beautiful- and utterly terrifying- peek at the wider world of Aincrad.   
“Hard to believe this is only Floor One,” Israel said as they gazed out at it all.   
“Hard to believe,” Jae agreed with a nod.  
Kayaba’s chilling words from the first day came back to him, then:   
“There is only one way for you all to escape now: you must clear the game. At this moment, you are all gathered on Floor One, the lowest- and safest- level of Aincrad. If you can get through the main Dungeon and defeat the Floor One Boss, you may advance to the next Floor. The same will go for every Floor and every Boss from that point on, with the difficulty and danger of both rising as you progress. Defeat the Final Boss on Floor One Hundred, and you will clear the game.”   
Jae had no way of knowing if the insane man had been telling the truth. If anything, he wanted to believe that it was all just a cruel lie; he remembered well the reviews posted by the testers during the closed beta, reviews that all agreed on just how difficult and dangerous the Floor Bosses were. Apparently they were the strongest monsters in the game, even dwarfing all other Bosses found at the end of quests and the like. By the end of the closed-beta, the highest level testers had only managed to make it to Floor Eight, which meant that only the first seven Bosses had been defeated.   
And we’re supposed to kill a hundred?  
It was a grim thought, and one which quickly threatened to send Jae into a fit of misery, so he instead did his best to put it out of his mind and returned his attention to the new spear in his inventory.  
Israel had been right: though it was a common weapon just like the axe he had received from a chest earlier, and just like their beginner swords were, it’s superior damage offered a good example of the effectiveness of higher leveled equipment. Yet, he wasn’t sure if it was worth wielding. As he considered, a skill notification in the corner of his menu caught his eye. He selected it.  
“I just unlocked a spear skill,” he murmured in surprise.   
Israel turned and followed his gaze. On Jae’s screen was a picture of a plain steel spear with a caption over it that read Two Handed Assault Spear.   
“What’s it do?” Israel asked.  
Jae shrugged. “It’s just a basic spear move I think. Pretty much the same as the one handed Rage Spike sword skill we started with, except it can also be a slash instead of a stab.”   
Israel raised his eyebrows. “That’s actually really good for the sake of versatility. You could use the same move several times and change it up each attack so the mobs can’t predict it.”   
Jae waved his arm in answer. “I know, I already thought of that, but I’m not sure if I want to switch over to being a spear user.”   
Israel blinked in surprise. “But that spear has better stats than both our weapons combined.” He gestured to Jae’s item screen. “And a new skill to top it off.”   
“It requires two hands to use,” Jae explained. “Three days of almost nonstop training with one handed weapons goes in the trash if I take this. Not to mention I won’t be able to equip a shield.”   
“We don’t even have any shields.”   
“The point is that I lose the option. Why limit myself so soon, before we’ve even had a chance to create our own builds?”   
Israel rolled his eyes. “You always were indecisive.”   
Jae frowned. “What’s that supposed to-”  
“I think you should at least try the spear out,” Israel interrupted in a diplomatic tone. “We need to start dealing more damage. If we fall behind in that, it won’t matter how tanky we are. I could stay defensive and cover you while you get used to it and after a while you can decide whether or not you want to keep it. Agreed?”   
Jae thought it over a moment. He couldn’t deny Israel’s logic, and they were beginning to deal less damage to enemies their level.   
He dipped his head. “Agreed.”  
Jae paused as he equipped his new spear. Swinging it around for a moment, his expression gradually went from sour to pleasantly surprised. He liked the increased reach the weapon offered, as well as the familiar feel. In the real world, he had taken several fencing classes dedicated to the use of quarterstaves, which weighed about the same and shared many combat movements as spears. In that short amount of time, he had grown quite proficient in their use. It had been long ago, but the memories came flooding back to him now, helping him adapt to the spear.  
Focused on an invisible foe, he began activating his spear skill, using it first for long range thrusts, and then for wide semi circle slashes. Each time, the spear became coated in a faint bluish hue and shot forward with enhanced power and momentum. The cooldown afterwards lasted longer than his first sword skill had, but that wasn’t surprising; stronger abilities usually always had more of a penalty on cooldown in MMOs.  
Finally lowering his weapon, Jae smiled for the first time in three days.   
“You were right. I’ll hold onto it for now.”   
“Good.” Israel turned back towards the Town of Beginnings, far off down the hill. “Let’s get back now and see what we can sell before dark.”   
“Don’t you want my axe now that I don’t need anymore?” Jae asked.   
Israel mulled it over for a moment. “It’s got a shorter reach than a sword, and the damage difference is marginal.” He shook his head. “Sell it. I’ll just wait it out for a better sword. Besides, we need the money.”  
“Agreed.”   
The two kept their weapons out as they descended the hill, prepared for any respawns or fast moving mobs. It was a long walk back to the Town of Beginnings, and one which could have been avoided entirely had they any of the Teleport Crystals Jae had seen being sold by vendors in the markets, but they both knew they needed to save every bit of Col they could get. They needed food, repairs for their equipment, and, most importantly, money set aside for the church fee. Neither of them wanted to end up out on the streets again if they could help it.   
It was late afternoon by the time they arrived at the gates of the Town of Beginnings. The sky above had turned a rusty red, and the low hanging sun appeared dim and orange. Street lamps along the paved roads were as of yet unlit, which meant that they still had at least an hour or two before dark.   
“We need to hurry if we want to get one of the corners of the common room tonight,” Israel said as they passed underneath the stone archway of the gatehouse and into the city.   
Jae nodded. “We should split up.”  
Opening up his menu, he quickly cleared his inventory and handed the contents to Israel. “Take the fur pelts from the wolves we took down this morning to the traders in the merchant’s quarter. Sell all of yours too, and the goat hide if you can. I’ll head over to the apothecary shop and try to haggle for two more health crystals. After that, we’ll see if we have enough money to repair our gear.”   
“Alright,” Israel said as he turned to take the left hand route, “ I’ll meet you back at the blacksmith’s, then.”   
Jae nodded, then continued on his way along the main road, a wide paved street that led deep into the heart of the Town of Beginnings. Tall, medieval style houses on either side quickly blocked his view of Israel on the left, and after a moment, the huge city had swallowed him.   
Neither of them had yet memorized the maze of streets and alleys that made up the arteries of the city, and there were some sections of the place that they hadn’t even set foot in yet, but over the past day or two they had made a point of at least growing accustomed to the area around Alara’s Holy Sanctuary in order to get around quicker.   
The merchant’s quarter was only a few blocks away, and the apothecary’s shop, which Jae had discovered the day before after making a wrong turn, was even closer. The only relatively far location they needed to get to was the blacksmith’s shop, which was tucked away in one of the sidestreets near the Central Plaza. Though a good fifteen minute walk from the Sanctuary, it was one of the closest smithies around, and, far more importantly, it was generally a bit cheaper than the other two they had visited.  
Yet even then, they could barely afford to repair their gear.   
Turning a corner, Jae was forced to quicky step aside and wait as the doors of a large library burst open just ahead, issuing forth a large contingent of running schoolchildren eager to make their way home.   
The young boys and girls, who all looked to be around ten or twelve, giggled and laughed and talked loudly with each other as they passed, eagerly discussing things that only children would find important.   
As he watched them, Jae had to remind himself that they were NPC’s and not actually real people. Real children, he recalled, would not be this happy. That first day, during the madness and chaos at the Central Plaza of the city, he had seen far too many crying hysterically and shouting for their mothers in the midst of the roiling crowd.  
A pang of guilt hit him at the thought.   
I wonder where those poor kids are now. If they’re still alive.  
Though he tried to push the bleak thoughts out of his mind, Jae couldn’t help but think about what would happen if those young players worked up the courage to go outside the safety of the Town of Beginnings. If any among them were beta-testers, they would probably be fine, but the rest…  
After a few somber minutes, he arrived outside the apothecary’s shop and was able to focus his attention on the matter at hand. It was a small, circular building, made mostly of wood and thatch, and coated in a thin layer of paint that had long ago greyed and cracked. Truth be told, the place appeared more a beggar’s hut than a business establishment, and Jae would have taken it at that during his first visit had it not been for the crooked sign which hung lazily above the door: 

Mintigen’s Apothecary Shoppe

Stepping off the street, Jae reached out to open the door. Before he could get his hand around the loose wooden knob, it swung open from the inside. A tall, dark haired man with a sour expression on his face all but walked into him- a player, Jae could see, thanks to the tiny green cursor which hovered above his head. At once, Jae’s eyes caught on the man’s clearly upgraded leather armor and impressive looking sword.  
The man turned slightly when he saw Jae, revealing a long, half coiled black snake tattoo etched along the left side of his face, with the forked tongue starting at his forehead and the tail ending just above his square jaw. It was an unusual sight, to say the least.  
“Sorry,” he said sincerely as he pulled away. “Didn’t know you were there.”   
Jae shook his head and stepped aside. “No worries, you go ahead.”  
The young man nodded thankfully, and as he started past warned, “the shopkeeper in there is offering free slices of homemade pie to customers today. No idea why. Trust me on this: don’t eat any. I nearly died in there.”   
Jae smiled and nodded. “Thanks for the heads up.”   
“We players have to stick together.”   
Once the man was passed, Jae caught the door before it closed and started inside. Just before entering, he paused.   
The player was a stranger, of course, but he seemed like a pretty nice guy. He also seemed to be doing fairly well for himself, judging by the state of his gear and the uncommon sword at his belt. Someone like that could turn out to be quite helpful.  
Maybe we could benefit from a third party member.   
Jae turned to call out, but stopped when he saw that the street behind him was empty.   
The man was already gone. 

…

Glancing up, Israel took a brief moment to make sure he was still going the right way, then brought his gaze back down to the open character screen in the air before him. He studied it carefully, considering every stat as he drew closer to the merchant’s quarter. 

Character Status*

*1 Attribute Point Available!  
Attribute Points may be distributed into any Stat marked with an (+) icon.  
Israel

Level: 5  
Health: 426  
Stamina: 100  
Damage: 11-14  
Armor Rating: 8.3  
Hold Capacity: 34.60lb/70lb

Strength: 11+   
Dexterity: 10+   
Constitution: 16+   
Endurance: 10+   
Luck: 10+ 

Skills: 0  
Sword Skills: 1  
Active Skills: 1   
Passive Skills: 0 

Physical Resistance: 2%  
Fire Resistance: 0%  
Earth Resistance: 0%   
Air Resistance: 0%   
Holy Resistance: 0%   
Dark Resistance: 0%

Passive Abilities: 0

His eyes lingered on the Strength icon, but he hesitated and stopped before selecting it.   
He breathed angrily through gritted teeth.  
Come on, dammit, just hit the button already.  
Steeling himself, he again moved his finger over the Strength icon. Before he could select it, an image fuelled by terror flashed to life in his vision...an image of his battered and broken body exploding into pixelated shards.   
He drew his finger back sharply, as if he had just been bitten by a snake.   
Dammit.   
Israel stopped walking and glanced up, away from his menu and the fears that it provoked.   
The rust stained sky was slowly turning a deeper copper color, and the low hanging sun hid shyly behind canvas clouds as it gradually lost it’s battle with the heavens.   
Taking a breath, he returned his attention to the menu still in front of him, it’s digital blue screen taunting him with it’s boldness.   
It wasn’t that he didn’t want to put his last stat point into Strength- he did, and very much so. With each new monster encounter he and Jae put themselves through, it was slowly becoming clear that their lack of damage development would eventually come back to hurt them. Being able to tank hits and soak up damage was all well and good, but if they couldn’t efficiently eliminate whatever was causing that damage, an extended health bar wasn’t going to save them.   
Such a fact was hardly a revelation; any gamer worth his salt knew that in RPGs, a balanced character was usually the safest route when playing a game for the first time. Only veterans or full party groups could afford to specialize, and he and Jae were neither of those things.   
Yet, whenever he thought about the fact that his health bar was now the only thing keeping him alive, Israel couldn’t help but fear putting his attribute points into something else. It had been hard enough just putting one of the points into Strength earlier. He needed to start dealing more damage, he knew that, but those twenty health points per attribute could very well prove to be the difference between life and death. The more he thought about it, the easier the choice became.   
He couldn’t do it. He was far too afraid.   
One point in Strength should be enough for now, anyway. It’s still the first Floor, after all.   
Without another thought, he moved his finger and selected Constitution.   
Israel breathed a sigh of relief; he was now twenty health points safer.   
A flash of sudden movement from beyond the corner of his eye stopped him before he could close his menu, and a second later, a ball of shrieking white feathers and a beak tore past from under his legs. He tripped and fell and only just managed to stop himself from banging his head against the paved street. His open and now upside down menu screen hampered his view, and just as he closed it, he caught sight of a woman running at full speed towards him from down a sidestreet, a weary expression on her face.   
“Please!” She shouted frantically as she ran. “Stop that chicken!”


	3. Chapter 3

3  
November 9th, 2022  
Floor 1, Town of Beginnings

Stumbling to his feet, Israel hesitated just long enough to see the young woman stop in the midst of her sprint down the alley, turn, and practically dive into a pile of old barrels and half rotted cargo boxes. The abandoned wood exploded upon impact, sending broken boards and bent, rusty nails flying. She emerged from the debris a moment later, clutching a second screeching chicken to her chest. Before the little animal could wriggle out of her arms, she managed to seize one of the still intact cargo boxes and stuff it inside.   
Smoothing back a now tangled mass of long black hair out of her face as she panted, the woman quickly grabbed one of the empty wine barrels, turned, and glanced at Israel. To his surprise, he saw a tiny green cursor hovering about a foot above her head.   
She was a player.   
Up until that moment, he had thought for sure he had run into an eccentric NPC with some sort of quest trigger for dumpster diving after chickens.   
“Did you at least see where it went?” the girl asked in frustration as she started running again to close the distance between them. “Do you-” her eyes widened and her hand shot up, pointing past him- “there! Please help me grab it before it gets away!”   
Israel turned and immediately spotted it across the street. The large, bow legged chicken was a brightly colored white- a stark contrast to both the grey hues of the stone buildings and the coppery dusk sky- and thus stood out boldly as it waddled over to some orange peels scattered in the gutter along the streetside. Though it had been in complete hysteria not two minutes before- nearly knocking him unconscious in the process- the creature now seemed entirely oblivious to it’s surroundings.   
Partially out of a desire to help, and partially out of guilt for not intervening the first time, Israel quickly closed his menu and began crouch walking towards the chicken. Now that it was calm, he had no desire to get it excited again.   
As soon he took a step, however, it’s beady eyes shot up, stared at him daringly for a fraction of a second, and then it turned and bolted down a sidestreet.   
At the same time, the young woman tore past him shouting, “that doesn’t work! We have to catch her!”   
Cursing under his breath, Israel broke into a run beside her, and together they followed the chicken down the narrow road.   
Over a dozen worn, mold stained houses flashed by as Israel and the girl ran. Dogs barked at them from several open windows, a black cat hissed, and a gaggle of NPC beggars shouted angrily while scrambling aside.   
“We’re sorry, please excuse us!” the girl exclaimed as she all but jumped over a homeless man’s self made tent. She sounded sincere, but she never slowed her breakneck pace.   
In fact, it was all Israel could do to keep up with her, yet no matter how fast they went, the half flying, half running chicken somehow seemed to maintain it’s distance.   
“How are we supposed to get the damned thing?” he asked loudly as they ducked under a pair of suspended construction workers pounding away on a wall.   
“We’re getting close to the end!” the girl panted. “We should be able to trap it soon.”   
Peering ahead as he ran, Israel saw a gradual curve in the sidestreet. He couldn’t see beyond it at first, but as they rounded the corner a moment later, he finally saw the truth in her words: there, about two hundred feet down the narrow road, a large stable filled with workhorses and bales of hay made up the end of the path. Decommissioned wagons scattered around the premises made up further obstacles, guaranteeing that there was no way for the chicken to get through.   
They picked up their pace, but just as the marathon running chicken began to draw near the dead end, Israel’s eyes caught on two tiny alleys coming up rapidly on their right. The chicken was already beyond the more hidden of the two, but further ahead, the second one began to loom dangerously close.   
The chicken flicked it’s tiny head from side to side, examining first the incoming stables, then the encroaching side alley. A second later, it began to swerve to the right.   
An idea came to him then, and without hesitation, Israel split from the young woman beside him and bolted for the first of the two right hand alleys.   
“Chase it down the alley!” he shouted over his shoulder as he took off. “I’ll try to flank it!”   
She nodded and sped up, shooting past him as he dashed down the dark, uninhabited path.   
The sharp, pungent odor of refuse and waste hit him like a wave, and the further he went down the narrow path, the worse it got. Trash, rotten food, and even human excrement lay scattered along the muddy ground or piled up in heaps against the sides of old buildings, the latter of which Israel had to practically leap over in order to avoid. Puddles of rank, murky water covered the few open spaces free of waste, and within seconds, his beginner level linen boots were soaked through.   
Of course, he thought bitterly as he ran. Just my luck to run into the city’s trash can.  
Thankfully, the uninhabited back alley was small, and after only a minute or so, the exit onto another sidestreet appeared and the nauseating smell began to die down.   
Though his Stamina was nearly depleted and weariness was setting in, Israel tried his best not to slow as he exited the alley, dodged a wagon being led down the street by a farmer and his team of horses, and turned left up the new sidestreet. Just ahead he could see the second alley’s mouth, and the closer he got, the easier it became to hear the commotion from within. He had to hurry.  
Ignoring his ragged pants and burning legs, as well as the curious staring and nose holding of several NPCs, Israel forced himself into one last mad dash forward. Just as the last of his Stamina faded away, he leapt up and threw himself into the mouth of the second alley.   
He hit the ground hard, hurting his shoulder in the process, but at that moment he saw the chicken practically trip over itself as it vainly attempted to slow down not five feet in front of him. The tiny, madly clucking animal fell over it’s skinny legs and rolled right into his arms.   
“Gotcha,” Israel muttered in triumph as he wrestled the bird into submission.   
The tired young woman drew to a stop in front of him and allowed herself a breath before smiling at him. “You did it! That was quick thinking.”   
She stepped close to take the struggling chicken from his arms. Her face soured immediately. “What’s that smell?”   
Israel cleared his throat and quickly handed her the squawking bird. “Uh...pretty rough looking NPC farmer just drove through on a wagon with some...fertilizer. Smelled even worse up close.”   
A thought came to him as he watched her calm the chicken with soothing strokes of her hand across it’s feathers. His eyes widened in amazement.   
“Are you a beast tamer?”   
She laughed in amusement and shook her head. “No, that particular skill tree is a little too taxing for me. I’m just after these chickens as part of a quest in town. One of the merchants in the Alara District lost them and was offering a pretty decent reward.” Her smile turned into a scowl as she gently pushed the chicken into the empty wine barrel she had brought. “Seems he failed to mention that the chickens in question are absolute assholes.”   
Israel chuckled. “And marathon runners on the side, apparently.”   
She nodded wearily. “Actually he mentioned something about using them in chicken races. Unfortunately, the fastest of the bunch is still at large. I almost had her back at Saint’s Street, but she bolted right before I could grab her. I caught sight of the other two trying to head in the opposite direction a few minutes later, and that’s when I saw you.”   
She glanced up at the slowly darkening sky with a worried expression on her face. “If I don’t find her soon, it’ll be too dark to get any kind of lead.”   
Israel scratched the back of his head. “Well, I’m happy to help you go after the last one, but I don't know how we’re going to catch it without knowing where it is.”   
She waved a hand. “No worries. I just need to get back to Saint’s Street, then use my Tracking skill to follow it’s trail.”   
Israel’s jaw nearly dropped.  
From what he and Jae had learned about the Skill system in SAO during pre-release gameplay reveals and the tutorial, a player had to reach Level Ten before receiving their first Skill Point alongside the usual three Attribute Points. From what he remembered, skill points were used to unlock abilities of all kinds, everything from Cooking and Fishing to Smithing and Swordsmanship, providing huge advantages to players who utilized them in conjunction with their builds. Each Skill also had it’s own tree of sub-skills, but these could only be unlocked by gaining levels in the respective Skill.  
Since every player started the game with a Level One beginner sword, they automatically began with the One Handed Sword skill unlocked, albeit at it’s most basic stage and with only the first Sword Skill in it’s tree available. Whether or not they followed through with that weapon choice was up to the player.  
Even in spite of all their hard work farming for EXP over the past few days, he and Jae were still a good five levels away from obtaining their first available Skill point. The fact that this girl already had one, and was using it effectively, meant that she was at least twice as powerful as either of them. On top of that, she was already wearing full leather armor while he and Jae were still almost entirely garbed in their increasingly outdated beginner clothing. True, Jae had acquired new boots and a pair of uncommon gloves from monster drops, and Israel now had hardened cloth bracers with 2% physical resistance, but other than that...  
What the hell is she doing that we’re not?   
The young woman smiled gratefully at him. “Well, I can’t say I wouldn’t appreciate the help. The quest is timed, but if we can catch the last chicken quickly, I will of course split the reward money with you. It’s only fair.” She held out her hand. “I’m Naomi.”   
He shook the hand, but even as the thought of being able to afford a full meal set his mouth to watering, he forced himself not to be greedy. At the end of the day, they had never agreed to split the quest’s profits, and he had never asked for anything in exchange for his help. He should have, that was for damned sure, but he hadn’t. It wasn’t fair to expect money now.   
“Israel. And thanks, but you don’t have to-”   
She held up a hand. “I insist. Now follow me. I know a shortcut back to Saint’s Street.”   
They set off at a quick pace out of the alley and back onto the sidestreet with the stables at it’s end. Afternoon traffic was beginning to die down when they emerged back onto one of the main streets, but they still had to make room for the occasional oxcart or wagon bumping along the cobbled stones. Most of the city’s inhabitants looked to be winding down and making their way to their homes for the evening, but as the minutes passed, Israel soon noticed others doing quite the opposite.   
Several groups of NPCs, mostly young men and women, were beginning to meet and gather at intersections before heading off to taverns, inns, and the occasional bawdyhouse. Meanwhile, bards, troubadours, and fire breathers- all quite colorfully dressed- began populating the street corners and jovially plying their trades, filling the evening air with music and noise and rapidly attracting small crowds of passersby.   
As he watched the excitement of the city’s nightlife begin to unfold, Israel had to remind himself not to get caught up in the game’s immersion.   
This place wasn’t beautiful, or fun, or exciting.   
This place was a prison, created by a sociopath who wanted them all dead.   
Once they arrived back at Saint’s Street, and after depositing the second caged chicken in the same hidden corner as the first, it only took Naomi a moment of studying the ground before she identified the final chicken’s tracks.   
“This way.” She set off down a street surrounded on either side by shops and stalls. “I don’t think it’s far.”   
“Hopefully we can corner this one before it runs off again,” Israel said beside her. “I went through my entire Stamina bar back there and it hasn’t fully recovered yet. I doubt I’d be able to manage another chase for long.”  
She glanced up at him, concern lighting her features. “Really? What’s your Endurance at?”   
“Still at ten.” Noticing her look, he added, “I plan on getting it higher later on, but for now it seemed kind of secondary.”   
She shook her head adamantly.   
“It is secondary, but that doesn’t mean it’s unimportant. If you deplete all your Stamina during a fight, you risk putting yourself in major danger. You won’t be able to activate any Sword Skills or run if you need to retreat.”   
Israel blinked in surprise. He hadn’t thought of that before. Up until now, neither he nor Jae had reached that kind of danger point, and both of them had assumed that, based on their average combat encounters, their starting Stamina would be sufficient until they broke out of early-game. Yet it was clear this girl knew what she was talking about.   
“How many points do you think I should put into Endurance, then?” he asked as they walked.   
She didn’t hesitate. “Twenty would be best, but seventeen is acceptable for now if you want to be stingy with your Attribute Points early on. That’s seventeen without help from stat boosts from any gear you get.”   
Israel frowned. “Why does that matter?”   
“Weapons and armor get replaced all the time,” she replied matter of factly. “If you let your stats become upheld by gear, what happens when you change a chestpiece or bracer out with something else? Your endurance, which was boosted by the previous item, now drops to dangerous levels again.” She shook her head. “You have to use your Attribute Points if you want the foundation of a solid build. View gear and items as temporary bonuses only. That way, not only are you more versatile, but you won’t ever be surprised either.”   
Israel sighed. “That makes sense. It’s hard spending Attribute Points- seems like every stat is important somehow. But I’ll keep what you said in mind.”   
They continued on, and after another few minutes of walking, Naomi paused and pointed at a large, ramshackle warehouse covered in vines and in serious disrespair. The wooden entrance door hung ajar and creaked each time a breeze blew past. A small sign hung on the wall just above it, with the words KEEP OUT etched in big, faded letters.   
“The tracks lead in there.”  
“Well, this place isn’t creepy at all,” Israel muttered. He let out a breath in exasperation. “Of course the last chicken would wind up in there. If this was a normal RPG, I’d call monster lair.” He looked at Naomi. “Do you think it’s possible here in SAO? Monsters living within the safe zone?”  
Naomi nodded, but when she replied, it was clear that her thoughts were elsewhere. “I was in the beta-test. During that time I found a quest to kill some giant spiders that were infesting the sewers. They were cut off from the city proper, but still.”   
She went quiet for a moment before glancing over at him. “Maybe...maybe you should wait here?”   
Israel frowned at her. “What? Why?”   
“I’m sorry, I’m not trying to sound rude but...you look like a fairly low level.” She gestured at the warehouse. “If there is something there like a hidden quest or random event, it could end up being quite dangerous for you.”   
“And for you if you get caught by surprise.”   
“Yes,” she admitted, “but…”   
“It’s always safer with numbers,” Israel pointed out. “Let’s just go in together and keep our guard up.” He shot her an easy smile in spite of his rapidly growing fear of encroaching danger. “I trust you to protect me.”   
Naomi sighed once before nodding her head in resignation and starting forward.   
“I’ll take the lead then.” She drew an elegant, polished shortsword from a sheathe at her side. “Weapons out, just in case.”   
Israel nodded and readied his beginner level sword. His anxiety mounting, he tried to tighten his grip on the weapon as he followed behind, but the cheap, worn leather was becoming increasingly difficult to keep a firm hold of. His sweaty palms weren’t exactly helping either.  
Under his breath, he uttered a quiet prayer that his share of the quest money would be enough for repairs at the blacksmith afterwards...and for there to be an afterwards.  
Naomi started for the abandoned warehouse, but paused when she saw his sword. Though she tried to mask it immediately afterwards, her brief look alone was enough to make Israel’s face flush in embarrassment at his sub-standard equipment.   
They reached the creaking door, and Israel was about to step cautiously inside when Naomi urged him back and strode in first. He followed behind, secretly happy to have a high level with him.   
Huge stacks of old, dusty wooden crates sat in tall, organized rows all throughout the ramshackle building, each divided by a walkway littered with lumber and broken boards. Piles of trash and debris filled the corners, a few dozen ladders leaned against the walls, and high above, cobwebs covered the crooked rafters.   
Aside from being abandoned, the warehouse appeared relatively ordinary.  
Israel scanned the interior of the building once more, then shrugged and glanced to Naomi.   
“Looks like we were wrong. Only thing dangerous about this place is all the dust. Can you tell where-”   
The wind suddenly picked up outside, flinging the creaky door open and knocking one of the ladders down.   
In an instant, Naomi was on him, shoving him back behind her with surprising strength as she got into a protective stance.   
She glanced around a moment, then slowly relaxed as the wind died down and the door creaked back into place.   
She tucked a strand of long black hair back behind an ear and smiled sheepishly at him.   
“Sorry. Place has me a bit jumpy.”   
“You’re kind of starting to make me feel like the damsel in distress at this point.”   
She shrugged apologetically. “Well, to be fair, in this situation that might not be far from the truth.”   
Israel cleared his throat and gestured at the stone floor, eager to change the subject. “Can you see any tracks?”   
Naomi nodded and started forward. “This way.”   
They walked quickly and quietly down one of the walkways, passing by row after row of the huge, stacked crates, then turned right towards the center of the warehouse. After a few seconds, Israel began hearing a faint scratching noise, though it grew louder with each step. Naomi was studying the ground when they made another left, no doubt trying to focus on the chicken’s tracks, so only he noticed when they passed by what looked like a large cellar door in the floor about two rows over.   
Israel drew to a stop. “Hey, I think I just saw-”   
Several boxes near the ground toppled suddenly to the floor, sending a loud crash echoing around the warehouse. Naomi moved to once again shove Israel behind her as she raised her sword, but then bolted forward when the clucks of a frightened chicken filled the air.   
“There she is!” she shouted.  
Israel sprinted quickly after her, accidentally knocking over several ladders as he ran. The chicken, brown and big and the loudest of the bunch, fluttered madly as it tore down the walkways of the warehouse, it’s narrow head jerking back and forth as it sought a way out. As they neared the end of the path, it’s eyes glanced to another on the right which led back to the center of the building.   
“Circle around!” Naomi cried as they sped up to close the distance. “Same as before!”   
Nodding his understanding, Israel tore away and down another right hand lane. Keeping an eye on his Stamina, he raced at top speed down the corridor of boxes and crates for a moment or two before peeling hard to the left in order to cut off the chicken’s escape.   
His eyes widened.   
She was right in front of him.  
“I got her!” Naomi shouted mid-sprint while reaching for the bird with both hands. “I-”   
They crashed into each other at full speed before either could react, the momentum of the impact sending them both tumbling across the hard stone floor and the chicken flying. In the midst of their tangled fall, Naomi’s elbow came up hard under Israel’s nose. He groaned in pain, but was cut short when he hit the ground with enough force to knock the wind from his lungs. Naomi fell awkwardly on top of him a second later, and this time both of them groaned as their heads smacked together before they both finally stopped moving.   
“Son of a bitch,” Israel muttered through gritted teeth. He lifted both hands to his throbbing head. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw his health drop by one percent. “Why does pain have to be so realistic in this stupid game?”   
“Sorry,” Naomi said above him as she clutched the side of her head and squeezed an eye shut in pain. “That was my fault.”   
Israel sighed and did his best to shake his aching head. “No, I’m the one that shot out around the corner like an idiot. I thought I had made some distance, but I should’ve checked first.”   
Naomi sat up and scooted back until she could rest against one of the wooden crate walls.   
“I had her for a second there,” she muttered.  
“I saw. Then I saw the damn thing fly.”   
To his surprise, the beta-tester let out a sudden laugh.   
“Me too. Pretty sure she thought she was doing it on her own: she started flapping her wings like a crazed lunatic. Held her beak up too, proud as a queen.”  
She laughed again at the absurdity of it, and her amusement proved infectious. In spite of himself, Israel grinned and started chuckling along with her.   
“That’s almost inspirational,” he said with a grin. “Gotta admit, she’s got some class.”   
“That, or we’ve just borne witness to the next stage of chicken evolution.”   
They looked at each other and shared another good natured giggle, but then Naomi’s smile quickly faded.   
“You’re bleeding.”   
His mood lightened by the woman’s good humor, Israel couldn’t help himself and raised an eyebrow as he replied, “well I mean, you did kind of punch me in the face. And nearly give me a concussion.”  
She smirked and crossed her arms over her chest, causing the leather armor she was wearing to creak softly.   
“You poor thing. I had no idea you were so fragile.”   
“Damsel in distress, remember?”   
She chuckled and shrugged. “Well, at least you look the part.”   
Israel paused, unsure how exactly to take that, but before he could form a reply, a ladder fell several rows ahead of them, followed by a frightened squawking sound.   
Both of them rose to their feet.   
“Alright.” Israel cracked his neck wearily. “Let’s try this again.” 

In the end, it took at least another ten minutes of chasing and several toppled crates before Naomi, thinking fast, seized an empty box and managed to skillfully throw it over the chicken’s head. They then quickly closed in and secured it before it could attempt another escape.  
“Finally,” Naomi muttered with a shake of her head while calming the captured bird. “This quest reward had better be worth it. Come on, let’s get out of here.”   
“Hold up a second.” Israel turned and gestured for her to follow him. “I caught a glimpse of a cellar door back towards the center before the chase. Might be some loot down there.”   
A flash of excitement lit up the beta-tester’s sharp green eyes, but then she hesitated. “Might be. Might also be something dangerous. Remember, anything below the city’s ground level isn’t covered by the safe zone.”   
“Are you saying we should just leave?”   
She shook her head. “Of course not. I’m saying I lead and you stay back in support- the whole way. And if I say to run, run.”   
Israel knew she wasn’t trying to sound condescending, but her opinion of him was starting to rankle.   
“I won’t argue that you’re stronger than me, but I do know how to fight too. I’ve been taking on mobs outside the city since day one.”   
Naomi arched an eyebrow at him. “Monsters in dungeons and lairs are almost always stronger than normal mobs, and usually come with their own abilities to. Have you been in any dungeons yet?”   
“No, but-”   
“And with that kind of gear- not to mention your beginner sword?”  
She shook her head, but then her voice softened. “Just trust me on this, alright? Stay behind and let me take the aggro. I promise that if we find any loot, I won’t take more than half and you’ll get priority. You’re the one who found the cellar. It’s only fair.”   
Israel’s mouth worked, but he didn’t know how to reply. He hadn’t been trying to accuse her of loot hoarding. Though he had only just met her, he could tell she was fair and a team player. He had simply been trying to convince her to let him shoulder his share of the danger. Scared though he was, terrified even, he didn’t want anyone putting themselves in extra peril because of him.   
“Do you trust me?” Naomi asked.   
Israel sighed in resignation and dipped his head. “I trust you.”   
“Then let’s go see what’s in the cellar.”   
Israel took the lead, retracing their steps back towards the closed cellar door in the floor at the center of the warehouse. With her weapon out and ready, Naomi knelt down, seized the door handle, and- after a brief look back to ensure he was still behind her- pulled.   
Nothing happened.   
“It’s locked,” she muttered under her breath.   
“Which all but guarantees something good is down there.” Israel looked around at the old warehouse. “Problem is, none of the crates here are lootable. If the key isn’t in any of them, and it’s not on the ground either, who knows where it could be hidden.”  
Naomi pulled again, harder this time, then paused and began wiping away dust from the surface of the door. After a few seconds, she sat back on her heels and gestured for him to come close.   
“Look at this.”   
He leaned in. “You found the keyhole.”   
“Not just that.”   
With her free hand, she wiped away more dust.   
Israel’s eyes widened in alarm.   
The dark, unmistakable stain of dried blood coated nearly the entire cellar door. 

…

“Bless you, beautiful lady, bless you!” the jubilant, pink faced merchant cried as he pumped Naomi’s slender hand within his two huge palms. “And not a moment too soon! That bastard Johilis was about to disqualify me from entering the lists!” He chuckled devilishly and raised a fist in the air. “But now, I will surely win the chicken race tomorrow!”   
“Of that I have no doubt,” Naomi replied with a grin. “Your little athletes did not make it easy for us.”   
The big man chuckled again until his face went red, then he nodded proudly.   
“Oh yes, I can imagine. They’re good girls, truly, but they have a touch of the rebel in them. Wild they can be, and quite unruly. Often remind me of my own daughters back in Tolbana, they do!”   
He boomed a laugh and slapped a knee at his own joke, but then caught himself as he noticed the slowly darkening sky.   
“Ah, but I’m afraid I must be heading back to the lists now. It wouldn’t do to lose my place in the race after all you’ve done for me, and I know Johilis would love to scratch my name out, the sniveling little whoreson! Thank you once again, fair lady, and may your beauty never fade!”   
The big NPC merchant turned surprisingly fast on his heel, picked up the large chicken cage with his three little devil birds now inside, and started out of the merchant’s quarter.   
Naomi cleared her throat. “Master Filiun, are you sure you’re not forgetting something?”  
Master Filiun froze midstep, then quickly turned and trotted back over with an apologetic smile etched onto his face.   
“Ah, but of course, how could I be so forgetful? A thousand pardons, o radiant one! Here, your reward.”   
Reaching into his elegant purple frock coat, he smoothly retrieved a hefty leather pouch and dropped it into Naomi’s open hand. The beta-tester weighed it in her palm a moment, then gave the big man a charming, feminine smile.   
“I wish you the best of luck, Master Filiun. If you ever need help in any future endeavors, don’t hesitate to send word to me.”   
“But of course, m’lady.” The merchant bowed low before pivoting smartly and heading off again. “Farewell!”   
After only a few seconds, the big man disappeared, swallowed up within the shadows of the bustling city.  
“Seems you have an admirer,” Israel noted in amusement.   
Naomi smiled as she opened the pouch. “He probably just thinks his tongue is smoother than it really is.” Emptying out half of the coins in her hand, she tossed him the other half still in the pouch. “Here you go.”   
You have received:   
500 Col

Israel’s jaw dropped in amazement. In an instant, he had just been given what he and Jae had to fight nonstop nearly an entire day to scrape together.   
“Half, as agreed,” Naomi said with a nod. “I can count out my share for you if you want.”   
“What? No, no.” He waved a dismissive hand at once. “It’s fine, I trust you.” He scratched his head as he stared at all the Col now in his hand. “Um, can I ask you something?”   
Naomi nodded curiously for him to continue.  
“This is far more money than we- my brother and I- usually get for quests. We’ve been struggling to keep our finances up since the first day, but no matter how many quests we take on here in the city, the most we get is twenty to thirty Col in reward. Was this a special quest or something?”   
She shook her head. “It was just unavailable to you, is all. Same with the other quests offering higher amounts of Col.”   
“Unavailable?”   
“Yes. If you want to make money quickly, you have to know where to look. Have you or your brother been to the city of Tolbana yet?”   
Israel slowly shook his head. “We haven’t even made it to the next town over yet.”   
“Well, Tolbana is a good distance away, and the monsters are a bit stronger, but there’s a Trader’s Union there that makes it worth the trip. If you join them, several quests throughout the bigger towns and cities are unlocked automatically. None of them offer much in terms of EXP or items, but they tend to pay exceptionally well if you go by beginner standards. If you want, I could escort you-”   
Israel raised a hand at once, cutting her off. As much as he found he enjoyed the woman’s company, he wasn’t about to say yes to that kind of arrangement.   
“I appreciate it, really I do, but I don’t want anyone risking their lives for me. I don’t have to ask my brother to know he feels the same way. You’ve already helped me more than you think, believe me. So, Tolbana, Trader’s Union.” He nodded at her. “I’ll remember. Thank you.”   
Naomi nodded back and offered a smile. “Alright, if you’re sure.”   
“I am.”   
She hooked a skein of her messy black hair back behind an ear and glanced down. It looked like she was struggling for the right words to say. Finally, she met his eyes again and extended a hand.  
“Well, it was very nice meeting you. Thank you again for helping me with the chickens. I won’t forget it. Oh, and if I find any information about the cellar door and it’s missing key, I’ll message you.”   
Israel took the hand and cleared his throat, also looking for the right words. It proved a difficult task; while he had only known her for around half an hour, and thus couldn’t exactly call her a friend, she did feel like one. Her optimistic attitude and playful personality had lifted him out of the constant drudgery of fear, discomfort, and exhaustion, if only for a little while. His own humor seemed to bounce off of hers easily, making banter and conversation between them easy and comfortable.   
And on top of all that, she was kind of a badass and far more knowledgeable about the world they were now in.   
Well, she is a beta-tester after all.   
“Sounds good. When I have some free time, I’ll try to see if I can find anything about the warehouse as well.”   
He paused, wanting to ask if he could send her a Friend Request, but she turned around and started off.   
“Take care of yourself,” she said over her shoulder with a wave. “Stay safe, alright?”  
“And you.” 

After parting ways, Israel quickly made his way to the fur trader and sold the wolf pelts for a decent price. He knew he probably could have haggled a bit longer and made a few extra coins, but with over five hundred Col now in his inventory, a few extra didn’t seem like much. Besides, he was in a hurry; he still had to meet Jae at the blacksmith’s to repair their gear, and then they would have to run if they wanted a corner for the night at Alara’s Sanctuary.   
With five hundred extra Col, we could easily pay the tithe in advance for the next month. Or...  
He thought back on the look Naomi had given him when she saw his worn out beginner sword.   
I need a new weapon. Bad.  
“There you are,” Jae said in annoyance when Israel finally stopped in front of the smithy shop. “Where have you been? The place is about to close, and we still need to get back to Alara’s.”   
“Sorry, I-”   
Angry shouts broke out suddenly from inside the blacksmith’s shop, and a second later, the door swung open and out stormed none other than Naomi. Her face was flushed with anger, but the moment she met Israel’s eyes, she blinked in puzzlement.   
“Israel? This was a faster reunion than I expected.”   
Jae glanced from her to Israel in confusion, but said nothing.  
Israel smiled at her. “Looks like we were both heading towards the same place.” .   
“Is this your brother, then?”   
He nodded, but before he could reply, Jae extended a hand in greeting.   
“Jae Kulavic. Nice to meet you.”   
She took the hand. “Naomi. And same to you.”   
The beta-tester seemed to suddenly remember where they were, for she gestured back at the smithy she had stormed out of and in a bitter tone said, “I hope for your sakes you guys weren’t planning on wasting money here.”   
Jae frowned. “Actually, we both thought this was one of the cheaper places around. The armorers around the Plaza are pretty steep.”   
Naomi stifled back a cough of irritation. “It may seem like that, but that’s because of the cheap bastard inside. He’s selling lower quality items than the other shops and charging more than what they’re worth, all while carefully keeping his prices just below what the others charge honestly for quality gear. I wanted to buy an axe here and he just tried to sell me one with only three durability left on it.”   
“An axe?” Israel questioned. “I thought you used swords?”  
Naomi nodded. “I do, but I need an axe for a logger’s quest in the forest I just took on. Have to get it done by morning.”   
He crossed his arms and shook his head at her. “Questing at night, and in the forest no less. What happened to staying safe?”   
She smirked. “Well, technically, I never agreed I would. You just said the words.”   
Israel couldn’t help but grin.  
“What kind of axe do you need?” Jae asked.   
“Any kind would do really, but I’d prefer a one hander for speed.”   
Jae quickly swiped his hand out in front of him, bringing up his inventory screen.   
“I’ve got a one handed hatchet I’m not using.” He equipped the axe he had been fighting with earlier and held it out to her. “Will this work?”   
A surprised smile formed on her lips as she nodded. “Yes, that would work great. How much do you want for it?”   
“Nothing,” Israel and Jae both said at once. There was a momentary silence as the two stared in surprise at each other.   
Naomi glanced at them briefly before breaking the awkward moment with a wave of her arm.   
“Thank you both, but I wouldn’t feel right just taking it from you.”   
“It’s fine,” Jae assured her. “We’ve been doing alright for ourselves these past few days. The axe wouldn’t have sold for much anyway.” He gestured at the smith’s shop ahead of them. “And apparently we would’ve gotten even less for it here.”   
“Do you know of any cheaper places to get repairs and new gear?” Israel asked. “The money you gave me won’t last more than a few days, and now that you’ve told us about the scams going on here, we’ll need to find a new blacksmith.”  
Naomi considered it a moment. “Well, there are a couple cheaper places, but they’re for Level Ones and Twos. You guys need to stay up to date with-” she stopped and snapped her fingers as if remembering something.  
She looked at Israel. “Remember what I told you about Tolbana?”   
He nodded. “The Trader’s Union.”   
“Yes, and you should still go there for that reason, but it’s an expensive city to live in, so I wouldn’t recommend moving there until you two obtain a more stable income. Fortunately, along the road about halfway between the Town of Beginnings and Tolbana, there’s a small, remote village in the foothills called Trevica. It doesn’t offer much and hardly any players live there, but there is a skilled blacksmith, and he’s got a quest that makes it all worth it. It’s a bit time consuming, but not too difficult. Complete the quest for him, and the smith will reward you by offering a thirty percent discount on all goods and repairs.”   
Israel nodded slowly as he thought it over aloud. “So not only will we be fixing our blacksmith problem, but we’ll be considerably closer to Tolbana as well.”   
“Exactly,” Naomi said with a smile. “Two birds with one stone.”   
“If you already knew about this smith in Trevica,” questioned Jae, “then why were you trying to get an axe here?”   
She shrugged. “Convenience. I already did that quest and have access to the discounts, but there’s a lot more to do around here in order to level up quickly. Teleporting from here to Trevica and back every few hours would be cheaper if I used the town portals, but also a waste of time. Besides, for now money isn’t really an issue for me.”   
Israel couldn’t help but be in awe of how well she knew and understood the world of the game. Compared to her, he felt like their first three days had been completely wasted. In fact, he was beginning to get the feeling that if he knew half of what she did, he and Jae would be far better off- and considerably more capable.   
“That makes sense,” Jae said, audibly impressed. “Your approach to all this is pretty smart. Definitely more intelligent than how we’ve been going about things.”   
She quickly shook her head.   
“I only know more because of the beta-test. It lasted for nearly two months, so me and the other testers all have a good deal of experience on this Floor and a few of the higher ones.”   
The city’s street lamps flickered slowly to life around them, reminding Israel of the encroaching darkness. They would need to get to Alara’s as soon as possible now if they still wanted some space.   
Naomi seemed to notice too, for she straightened and began to step back.   
“Anyway, I have to go now, guys. I’m on a timed quest.” She gave them both a smile. “Please, stay safe out there. Both of you.”   
She turned to go, but Israel stepped forward at the last moment.   
“Naomi.”  
She paused and glanced back at him, waiting.   
“I have to ask…” Israel cleared his throat and looked away from her penetrating green eyes. “Aren’t you...aren’t you scared?”   
Uncertainty flashed across her face. She was quiet for a moment, but then slowly nodded.   
“I am. Of course I am. I’m pretty sure we’re all scared. But I don’t think we can afford to let that get to us. For now, all we can do is survive. Survive, and fight. We can’t let Kayaba win. Take care of yourselves now. I’m glad to have met you both.”   
With that, she turned on her heel and marched off down the street. Though Israel tried to keep sight of her, within minutes, she was gone.   
Jae cleared his throat. “Mind explaining what that was all about?”


End file.
